This invention relates to internal combustion engine fuel supply systems and more particularly to apparatus for alleviating harmful effects of water which may initially be present in engine fuel.
Liquid fuels, such as diesel oils, kerosene, gasoline or the like, often become contaminated with small amounts of water. Owing to differences in specific gravities, such water tends to settle to the bottom of various chambers in an engine fuel system, such as the fuel tank itself, water separators, filter chambers and the pumping chambers of fuel pumps or transfer pumps.
A small proportion of water uniformly intermixed with the fuel entering an engine combustion chamber does not usually detract from basic engine efficiency from the thermodynamic standpoint but such water can create very serious problems in other respects, particularly in the fuel supply components of the engine. One major problem is the rusting effect of water on certain metallic parts of fuel pumps, transfer pumps, fuel injectors and the like. This problem is not necessarily confined to the rusted part itself. Rust particles and in some cases fragments of parts that have failed because of rusting can be carried downstream by the fuel flow and damage or cause failure of still other parts.
To forestall the problem discussed above, it has heretofore been the practice to provide draincocks or bowls, which can be removed and emptied, at certain low points in the fuel system so that accumulated water can be eliminated from time to time. This is not always a fully effective solution to the water problem, primarily because it is dependent on the operator taking specific actions at periodic intervals. Through oversight, carelessness, lack of proper training or other reasons, operators may fail to purge the system of accumulated water at the necessary intervals. Engine failure, sometimes accompanied by serious damage to components, can then occur.